Sharks delighted to get 2nd chance against top-class Lions who inflicted pain on them before
Even though the British and Irish Lions are a ruthless, top-class outfit that inflicted plenty of pain on them in midweek, Sharks coach Sean Everitt said on Friday that his team is delighted to get a second chance against them when they meet in a hastily arranged rematch at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
With the Bulls having to postpone their scheduled match against the tourists on Saturday due to Covid cases in their squad, and the Sharks having been in a bio-bubble in Johannesburg since last Friday, the KwaZulu-Natalians have agreed to step up again and ensure the Lions don’t miss out on valuable game-time before their Test series against the Springboks.
Having been hammered 54-7 at Ellis Park, the Sharks are hopeful of putting on a better show, with Everitt naming a vastly-changed side thanks to them having 36 players up on the Highveld due to Covid precautions.
“There’s massive excitement in the team, we’ve only been playing against South African teams so it’s great to have fresh opposition, even though they are a world-class outfit. It’s an opportunity for us to learn from our mistakes and rectify those. When we did the review, we saw the opportunities we created, but also the errors and soft moments that ruined those,” Everitt said.
Many of the Lions players who were left to rue their late omission from the first match against the Sharks have now been cleared as close contacts because one of the players’ positive tests has turned out to be a false positive. That means Anthony Watson makes his first start on the wing and the intended halfback pairing of Dan Biggar and Gareth Davies will also take the field.
The Lions have also chosen what many consider to be their first-choice props in Rory Sutherland and Tadhg Furlong, and a strong showing by them could mean the hopes of Mako Vunipola and Zander Fagerson of playing in the first Test could be in the bin.
The Sharks’ breakdown work in the first game was a pig sty, and a fresh Lions loose trio of the highly-rated Tadhg Beirne, the impressive Hamish Watson and a go-forward eighthman in Jack Conan will have them under pressure again in that department.
Interestingly, tour captain Conor Murray is once again in amongst the replacements, having yet to start a game in South Africa.
Sharks: Anthony Volmink, Marnus Potgieter, Werner Kok, Murray Koster, Thaakir Abrahams, Lionel Cronje, Jaden Hendrikse, Phepsi Buthelezi (c), Mpilo Gumede, Dylan Richardson, Reniel Hugo, Le Roux Roets, Wiehahn Herbst, Kerron van Vuuren, Ntuthuko Mchunu. Bench – Dan Jooste, Mzamo Majola, Khutha Mchunu, Thembelani Bholi, Juandre Labuschagne, Cameron Wright, Boeta Chamberlain, Jeremy Ward.
British and Irish Lions: Liam Williams, Anthony Watson, Elliot Daly, Chris Harris, Duhan van der Merwe, Dan Biggar, Gareth Davies, Jack Conan, Hamish Watson, Tadhg Beirne, Jonny Hill, Maro Itoje, Tadhg Furlong, Jamie George – captain, Rory Sutherland. Bench – Ken Owens, Wyn Jones, Kyle Sinckler, Courtney Lawes, Sam Simmonds, Tom Curry, Conor Murray, Finn Russell.